Improved flour sifter, mixer, and kneader



PATENT "OFFIoE.

E. AQADAMS, OF BOSTON, MAsSAoHUsETTS.

IMPROVED FLOUR SIFTER, MIXER, AND KNEADER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,335, dated November 6, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. ADAMS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Oombined Flour-Sifter, Bread-Mixer, and Dough-Kneader. I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of my improved machine when arranged for sifting flour or meal, taken through the line as as, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of my improved machine when arranged for mixing bread, taken through the line 3/ 3 Fig. 5. Fig. 4. is a top View of the mixing devicedetached from the machine. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sect-ion .taken through the line zz, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of my improved machine when arranged for kneading dough, taken through the line a." m, Fig. 10. Fig. 7 is a detail side view of the kneading apparatus, the sides and part of 'the bottom of the mixing-pan being broken away. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the same, taken through the line y 3 Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a top View of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken through the line 2 2, Fig. 6.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish a convenient apparatus for quickly and thoroughly sifting flour or meal, mixing it into dough, and kneading the dough, said mechanism being so constructed that either of these operations may be performed independently of the others at the will of the operator.

A is the supporting-frame, consisting of the foundation-plate a the top plate, a and the posts c The top plate, a may be a circular plate, or a part of it may be cut away, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

B is the horizontal shaft, through which motion is communicated to the movable parts of the machine by means of the crank (J.

The shaft B revolves in bearings b, attached to the top plate, c of the frame A, as shown .in Fig. 1, or, if desired, the said bearings b may be attached to the foundation-plate a.

To the inner end of the shaft B is attached a bevel-gear wheel, D, which meshes into the bevel-gear wheel E,-attached to the central driving-shaft, F, as shown in Fig. 1.

The lower end of the shaft F rests and revolves in a step, f attached to the center of the foundation plate c and it passes up through and revolves in a hole formed in the center of the top plate, a By this construction, the driving parts of the apparatus, being placed beneath the mixing-pan, are entirelyout of the way, leaving the upper parts ofsaid apparatus wholly unobstructed, thus facilitating access thereto for the introduction and removal of the flour or dough.

Gr is the mixing-pan, which is made with a circular bottom, g, and vertical sides g and has a hole formed through the center of the bottom g for the passage of the central driving-shaft, F.

The pan G is kept in place by three or more projections, a, formed upon the edge of the top plate, c within which projections the bottom of the pan is set; and it is kept from revolving by projections 9 which come in contact with one or the other of the projections to, and hold the pan steady.

g is a tube, the lower end of which is securely attached to the bottom g of the pan, around the hole formed in the center of said bottom, and in its upper end is secured a hearing, f, for the upper part of the shaft F, as shown in Fig. 1. This tube not only supports the bearing for the upper end of the shaft F, but also prevents the contents of the pan G from coming in contact with the said shaft F.

. H is the sitter, which is in the form of a short tube, h the lower end of which fits into the upper end of the mixing-pan G, as shown in Fig. 1.

To the lower edge of the Sifter h is attached a wire-sieve cloth, M, which has a hole in its center for the passage of the central shaft, F.

To prevent the passage of unsifted flour through this hole it is surrounded with aprotecting-cone, h, through the top of which the upper end of the shaft F projects.

The lower part of the cone h fits over the upper end of the tube 9 and thus prevents the flour from entering the upper end of the said tube or coming in contact with the shaft F.

I is the flour-agitator, the two or more radial arms 11 of which are attached to a sockethood, i which fits over the protecting-cone lbs of the sieve, and which has a square socket formed in its upper end, into which the square end of the shaft F fits, so that by the revolution of the said shaft the agitator may he revolved and the flour or meal rapidly sifted.

To the lower edges of the radial arms i may be attached rubber flanges 41 which come in contact with the wire-cloth k of the sieve, and keep the whole of the flour thoroughly stirred; or the said rubber flanges may be secured in grooves formed in the lower edges of the said radial arms.

J is the mixer, which is made somewhat in the shape of an inverted U. Through the horizontal part j of the mixer J is formed a square hole, into. which the square end of the shaft F fits. This hole is so placed that one of the vertical arms, j may pass around close to the sides 9 of the mixing-pan G, and this arm is so formed as to have a tendency to push the materials being mixed away from the sides and toward the center of said pan. The other vertical arm, descends about halfway between the sides g of the pan and the tube 9 and it is so formed as to have a tendency to push the materials toward the sides of the pan.

The lower end of the arm j is branched just above the bottom g of the pan. These branches extend out horizontally, and are so formed as to have a tendency to lift the materials from the said bottom, so as to insure the entire con tents of the pan being thoroughly mixed.

The mixer J may be made with any desired number of arms without departing from my invention, the number of arms being entirely immaterial.

K is the kneading device, the vertical movable roller is of which is securely attached at its upper end to the gear-wheel k and is pivoted to the frame k The gear wheel 70 meshes into the gear-wheel M, which is pivoted to the other end of the frame 70 as shown in Fig. 6. Through the center of the journal of the wheel 7c and through the end of the frame 70" is formed a hole, the upper part of which is made square to fit upon the square end of the shaft F, causing the kneader K to revolve with the revolution of the said shaft. Upon the under side of the gear-wheel 7c are formed two projections or lugs. which fit into recesses formed in the bearing f as shown in Fig. 6. The effect of this construction is to cause the roller k to revolve upon its own axis at the same time that it is being carried about the tube 9 which acts as a stationary roller, by the revolution of the shaft F.

k are guards or scrapers, the upper ends of which are attached to the frame W, and which project down along the sides of the stationary roller g and movableroller k as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. v

It will be observed that the scrapers are of such a form and are placed in such a position.

as to remove the dough from the rollers and cause it to pass away therefrom, so that the same part of the dough may not be all the time in contact with the rollers, but that all the dough may be thoroughly kneaded.

7c is a guard-plate, attached to the lower end of a bent arm, 70, as shown in Fig. 8, the forward edge of which is hollowed out so as to fit upon the curved sides of the rollers gtand la.

-The upper or horizontal part of the bent arm 70 passes through a slotin the middle part of the frame It, and is made adjustable and held in place by the set-screws 70 as shown in Figs. 6,7, and 8. I

The object of the plate It is to prevent the dough from working up to the gearing.

In using the apparatus the sifter I is placed in position upon the mixing-pan G and the proper amount of flour placed in it, which,

by afew turns of the crank G, is sifted into i the said mixing-pan G. The sifter HI is then removed and the mixer J placed in position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The proper amount of water and other ingredients is then added to the flour, and the crank 0 turned until the whole has been thoroughly mixed into dough. The mixing device J is then removed and the kneading device K attached in its place, and the crank (J turned until the dough has been sufficiently kneaded.

This construction of the apparatus enables the various operations of sifting, mixing, and kneading to be cleanly, quickly, and thoroughly performed, and it also enables the mixing-pan G to be readily removed from the frame A, to clean, wash, or dry it, or to set it in a warm position for the dough to rise.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut- 1. The combination of driving mechanism B D E, below the pan G, with the said pan and with sifting, mixing, or kneading mechanism within it, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the central drivingshaft, F, with the mixing-pan G and tube g substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The construction of the agitator with a socket-hood, substantially as herein shown and driving-shaft, of a detachable mixing device, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

8. The employment, in combination with the driving-shaft, of a detachable kneading device, substantially as and for the purposcdescribed.

9. The employ ment, in combination with the central tube or stationary roller, of a kneading-roller which revolves upon its own axis and also rolls around the said stationary roller, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and. described. Y

10. The combination of the gear-wheels k k, or their substantial equivalents, with the driving-sh aft and the kneading-roller, substantially as herein shown and described.

11. The employment of the adj nstable guardplate It with the gear-wheels k k, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

EDWARD A. ADAMS.

Witnesses OHAs. J. RICHARDSON, BOYD ALLEN. 

